Increasing vitamin C content of plants through enhanced ascorbate recycling.

ABSTRACT: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is essential to prevent disease associated with connective tissue (e.g., scurvy), improves cardiovascular and immune cell functions, and is used to regenerate alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). In contrast to most animals, humans lack the ability to synthesize ascorbic acid as a result of a mutation in the last enzyme required for ascorbate biosynthesis. Vitamin C, therefore, must be obtained from dietary sources and, because it cannot be stored in the body, it must be obtained regularly. Once used, ascorbic acid can be regenerated from its oxidized form in a reaction catalyzed by dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR). To examine whether overexpression of DHAR in plants would increase the level of ascorbic acid through improved ascorbate recycling, a DHAR cDNA from wheat w

SUBMITTER: Chen Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC152326 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature